Courses

Most of the courses listed here are offered through our continuing education program which is housed on our state‐of‐the‐art virtual campus. These courses feature online support, discussion forums, study guides, supplementary resources, and much more. For individuals taking the self-paced version, you may register at any time. Click on Details & Registration for any course to to proceed to the self-paced registration form. For groups, onsite support can be arranged if feasible and preferred. Some of these courses are also offered by trained Neufeld Course Facilitators operating independently or through other agencies. Check the Event page for official Neufeld Institute scheduled online and onsite courses.

Not everyone grows up as they get older. The construct of psychological immaturity is not new, but only recently has developmental science advanced to the point where the idea of developmental arrest can be spelled out and employed as a powerful explanatory tool for problems in learning and behaving. Once kids are stuck, the usual ways of dealing with behaviour - including sanctions, consequences, and time-outs - actually make things worse. This flagship course, organized around the constructs of maturation and stuckness, provides a grounding in the conceptual foundations of Dr. Neufeld's formulation of the attachment-based developmental approach.

The Neufeld Intensive One is taken by a wide variety of professionals as well as parents who are seeking a university level educational experience. No previous background or formal education in the social sciences is required. Although the focus is primarily on children and those responsible for them, the intensives have also been found useful by adult therapists and marriage counsellors. Previous participants have included educators of all kinds, parents and grandparents, behaviour specialists, counsellors, therapists, art therapists, psychologists, pediatricians, university professors, psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, social workers, youth workers, ministers, care providers and foster parents.

Most problem behaviour is rooted in instinct and emotion and is therefore unresponsive to conventional forms of discipline or behaviour management. Building on the foundations of the Intensive I, this course sheds light upon the profound impact of separation on a child's personality and behavior, with special attention given to the problems of aggression, resistance, oppositionality, bullying, distractability, impulsiveness, anxiety, alarm problems, alpha problems, attachment problems, and more. When the developmental antecedents are understood, the path to effective intervention becomes clear.

The prerequisite for this course is Neufeld Intensive I: Making Sense of Kids.

The course is primarily addressed to those who are professional involved with children but is open to (and well attended by) parents who are seeking to make sense of their children. No previous background or formal education in the social sciences is required although the ability to handle university-level instruction helps. Although the focus is primarily on children and those responsible for them, the intensives have also been found useful by adult therapists and marriage counsellors. Participants include educators of all kinds, parents and grandparents, behaviour specialists, counsellors, therapists, art therapists, psychologists, pediatricians, university professors, psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, social workers, youth workers, ministers, care providers and foster parents. This course is applicable to all settings and venues involving children but will be especially useful to those involved with children who have trouble learning and behaving. The course is particularly recommended for anyone involved or wishing to become involved in parent consulting or parent coaching, and is required for those seeking authorization as Neufeld Parent Consultants. The material applies to children of all ages as well as to adults, although the focus of the course is children and adolescents.

Intensive III: Becoming Attached unfolds and expands the six roots of attachment and puts the focus more on adults than in the first two levels. The course is also a journey through Dr. Neufeld's earlier theoretical development which created the puzzle pieces that ultimately came together in the six roots of attachment. The Intensive III is designed not only to provide deeper theoretical understanding but also to give the opportunity for more personal integration of the material. The prerequisites for this course are Neufeld Intensive I and II.

This course is universal in its application. There is not a profession or venue of application that is not informed by an understanding of attachment. People from all occupations, cultures and religions have been equally engaged by the material in this course. The best way to take the course is to come for oneself.

No previous background or formal education in the social sciences is required, although the ability to handle university-level instruction helps. This course is highly recommended for therapists and is part of the core curriculum for our internship and practitioner programs. Participants have included parents and grandparents, educators of all kinds, behaviour specialists, counsellors, therapists, art therapists, psychologists, pediatricians, university professors, psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, social workers, youth workers, ministers, care providers and foster parents.

Part I of the Power-to-Parent series focuses on the child-adult relationship as the context for raising children - how this relationship is meant to develop, what can go wrong, why parents must matter more than peers, how to cultivate a context of connection, how to win back one's child if need be, and more. Attachment-safe and developmentally friendly discipline strategies are also introduced.

This course is suitable for both parents and professionals although it is addressed primarily to parents, with a focus on parenting. Usually one-third of the course participants work with families or children in one context or another. While the material applies equally to the school setting, the day-care setting, and to direct treatment venues, those involved in such settings may need to engage in some transposing of the material. This usually happens quite spontaneously and intuitively on the part of professionals.

The material and principles discussed are applicable to children of all ages. The focus of this course is on everyday parenting and everyday problems but the material applies even more so to the more challenging scenarios and problems.

This course can be used for professional development, personal growth, preparation for parenting and even as a primer or enrichment for grandparenting.

Part II of the Power-to-Parent series focuses on how to help children realize their potential as human beings. Since growing older is no guarantee of growing up, knowing how to foster maturation is key to raising children. The material is presented in such a way that engages parents while educating professionals as well. The prerequisite for this course is The Vital Connection (Power to Parent I).

This course is suitable for both parents and professionals although it is addressed primarily to parents, with a focus on parenting. Usually one-third of the course participants work with families or children in one context or another. While the material applies equally to the school setting, the day-care setting, and to direct treatment venues, those involved in such settings may need to engage in some transposing of the material. This usually happens quite spontaneously and intuitively on the part of professionals.

The material and principles discussed are applicable to children of all ages. The focus of this course is on everyday parenting and everyday problems but the material applies even more so to the more challenging scenarios and problems.

This course can be used for professional development, personal growth, preparation for parenting and even as a primer or enrichment for grandparenting.

Part III of the Power-to-Parent series focuses on the typical challenges of parenting. Every child gets stuck from time to time on the road to maturation. Dr. Neufeld equips parents to read the signs of a child in trouble, live with a sensitive child, cultivate resilience in a child, lead an alpha child, soften a defended child, discipline a stuck child, and more. The prerequisites for this course are The Vital Connection (Power to Parent I) andHelping Children Grow Up (Power to Parent II).

This course is suitable for both parents and professionals although it is addressed primarily to parents, with a focus on parenting. Usually one-third of the course participants work with families or children in one context or another. While the material applies equally to the school setting, the day-care setting, and to direct treatment venues, those involved in such settings may need to engage in some transposing of the material. This usually happens quite spontaneously and intuitively on the part of professionals.

The material and principles discussed are applicable to children of all ages. The focus of this course is on everyday parenting and everyday problems but the material applies even more so to the more challenging scenarios and problems.

This course can be used for professional development, personal growth, preparation for parenting and even as a primer or enrichment for grandparenting.

The task of turning children into adults has never been more daunting. An adolescent is neither child nor adult - and therein lies much of the difficulty, turbulence, confusion, and challenge. They need us, yet need to not need us. We are their best bet, yet their instincts are to resist us.

This material is relevant to anyone who is involved or will be involved with teenagers: parents, grandparents, teachers, counsellors, youth workers, family workers, therapists, social workers, psychologists. This course can be used for professional development for teachers, continuing education for helping professionals, and staff training for youth programs. This course is also appropriate for parents of preteens to prepare them for the transition.

Aggression problems are deeply rooted in instinct and emotion and are therefore resistant to conventional discipline practices. Dr. Neufeld uncovers these roots and outlines steps to addressing them. His rich professional experience with aggressive children and violent youth informs this refreshing approach to an age-old problem. The principles apply to children of all ages and all settings: home, school and treatment.

This material has broad application and is suitable for all those involved with children and youth. This aggression courses is taken by teachers, psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, family physicians, school principals, probation officers, foster parents, community nurses, therapists and family workers. Parents will find the material invaluable and taking this course when their children are toddlers and preschoolers can head off significant problems. This material has been in demand in educational circles for professional development as well as to help administrators and boards gain some perspective on this escalating problem. It has also been much requested for communities for educating all those involved with aggression and violence, from police and probation officers to counselors and day-care workers.

Anxiety in children is reaching epidemic proportions, as one of the most common diagnoses in children. Anxiety takes many forms, including obsessions, compulsions, phobias, and panic. Various hand-me-down strategies attempt to address this age-old problem. But anxiety begs for an explanation in order to arrive at a solution that addresses the roots, not just manages the symptoms.

This course is designed for all those involved with children and youth: parents, teachers, helping professionals. Although the focus is children, the dynamics and insights apply to individuals of any age. In fact, although most participants come for their children, they end up with significant insights about their own anxiety and how to best deal with it. Helping professionals will learn how to treat the anxiety of children effectively and without depending upon medication. Helping professionals also learn how to work through the parents in addressing the anxiety of their children. Teachers will gain insights about their own role in the anxiety problem and what they can do to reduce the anxiety of their students. Parents will learn how to address the roots of the issue and so reduce the symptoms and dysfunction of anxiety.

There are many kinds of attention problems - most rooted in emotional and developmental dynamics. Many professionals diagnosing attention problems are experts at describing the symptoms, but come up short on explanations - without the foundational understanding of how the attention system develops, what can go wrong, and why. Knowing the nature of the problem is key to managing the symptoms and addressing the root cause.

This course is suitable for all those involved with children. Educators and specialists working with special needs children will find this especially helpful, as will teachers working in alternate education settings. This course has been very appreciated by psychologists and pediatricians as well as family physicians, as it provides a solid conceptual base from which to make their assessments and recommendations.

Counterwill is the instinctive reaction of resistance to being controlled - so universal at certain stages of development that it has given rise to terms like 'terrible twos' and 'rebellious teens.' This resistance can come out as opposition, negativity, laziness, noncompliance, disrespect, lack of motivation, belligerence, incorrigibility, resistance to learning, and even antisocial attitudes and actions.

This material applies to all ages and all settings including:

parents with children from toddlerhood to adolescence;

early childhood educators;

teachers and assistants working with students from K to 12;

helping professionals working with all ages

The counterwill dynamic is universal. It exists in all but the very young and the very disturbed. It is extremely troublesome to parents of toddlers and preschoolers because of their impulsiveness and lack of mixed feelings. It is also a troubling dynamic in school-aged children who are not properly attached to those responsible for them or who are psychologically immature. The counterwill dynamic is, of course, legendary in adolescence and often referred to as 'rebellion'.

The counterwill dynamic is something every parent and teacher should be familiar with. If this dynamic is not understood or if it is taken personally, our reactions to increase coercion can be counterproductive as well as damaging to the relationship. Counterwill is a crippling dynamic in the school system, causing children to become passive in their learning, to work to rule, to procrastinate and to resist doing the bidding of their teachers. Children who are stuck developmentally and who are not attached properly are daunting to deal with because of their elevated counterwill instincts. If counterwill is not understood, our typical reactions actually exacerbate the problem.

The earlier one becomes familiar with counterwill, the better. The parenting of toddlers and preschoolers goes much better with a working knowledge of this dynamic. This material is also suitable as a course for general audiences and as professional development for educators and for teaching assistants. The material is particularly suitable for those that work with children that are difficult to manage.

Time-out? Consequences? When dealing with children, parents and teachers often want to know what to do when. However, a larger context, including an understanding of the underlying emotions and instincts in a child, is of the utmost importance when considering how to impose order and teach responsibility. In this course, common discipline strategies are discussed in the context of what a child needs for healthy development, and attachment-safe and developmentally friendly discipline strategies are introduced.

This material is applicable to any venue involving children: home, school, playground, residential programs. As such, the material is suitable to parents of children of all ages as well as to teachers, principals, day-care providers, and early education providers.

This four-session course provides a fresh look at the causes and consequences of sensory overload in the brain and its role in a spectrum of syndromes including autism, and to a lesser extent, some forms of giftedness as well as attention problems. Uncovering this root neurological condition sets the stage for retreating from a battle against symptoms and creating a context for isolating and minimizing the resulting dysfunction. The implications for intervention are profound.

It is hard to think of anyone for whom this course would not be suitable. Everyone in today’s world knows someone who demonstrates the signs of hypersensitivity in one way or another, but few will appreciate the meaning of what they are observing. We cannot effectively address a problem we do not understand. This course will have special relevance for parents, grandparents, teachers and therapists of the hypersensitive, as well as to those who suspect that hypersensitivity might be the explanation for their very own baffling experiences.

No one is more susceptible to being misunderstood than the preschooler - especially when adults are trying to rush them out of their untempered nature, inconsiderate relating, or separation problems. Making sense of these wondrous and confusing beings lays a foundation for intuitive and fruitful interaction with them, and helps us provide the conditions that are conducive to their transformation.

This course is designed for all those involved with young children: parents, early childhood educators, daycare providers, kindergarten teachers, and all the supporting helping professionals.

Understanding the preschooler actually provides the keys to understanding developmental stuckness or immaturity at any age, even in the adolescent and adult. In this sense, the preschooler course is foundational for anyone working with stuck kids, adolescents or adults. Getting to know the dynamics at the root level helps to get past all the camouflaging symptoms as well as helps to find a way through.

Resilience is a remarkable construct - an overarching metaphor that touches on the arenas of stress, neural plasticity, emotional health, recovery, healing, mental illness, adaptation, defendedness, and therapy. It is relevant to everyone in most every role and regardless of age: teachers, therapists, youth workers, parents, support workers, etc. Fresh understandings are coming to the fore as we glean more working knowledge of the brain as well as the nature of emotion. The implications for working with children are profound, never mind the implications for dealing with stress in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones.

The construct of resilience, once truly understood, is universal in its application. We all face adversity; no one is immune. Knowing how to foster resilience and recovery should be one of our main conceptual tools for taking care of ourselves and those who depend upon us.

While the focus is on children, the knowledge of resilience has universal application. No person, parent or teacher should be without these understandings. But neither should any helping professionals, as this knowledge informs the helping relationship. As such, it is highly recommended for therapists, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, family workers, physicians, nurses and therapists.

How is sexuality meant to develop? What is happening today that is different than in previous generations? How does sex affect the brain and bonding? In this course, Dr. Neufeld will be examining sexuality through the lenses of attachment, maturation and vulnerability. He will shed light on why adolescents are losing their timidity, why sexual interaction is on the rise, and why sexual bullying is becoming a problem. He will also explore the meaning of safe sex when viewed psychologically and provide suggestions for contributing to the healthy unfolding of sexuality in our youth.

This material is relevant to anyone who is involved or will be involved with teenagers: parents, grandparents, teachers, counsellors, youth workers, family workers, therapists, social workers, psychologists. This course can be used for professional development for teachers, continuing education for helping professionals, and staff training for youth programs. This course is also appropriate for parents of preteens to prepare them for the transition. This course is highly recommended for ALL who are involved in the sexual education of our youth, whether formally in school or more significantly at home.

A growing number of children and youth are presenting as demanding, prescriptive, bossy, and controlling. Alpha children are more challenging to parent and predisposed to a number of problems including anxiety, aggression, oppositionality, and eating problems. An understanding of the alpha dynamic opens the doors to change in the family, classroom, and society.

This course has implications and applications for every single relationship, including marriage and friendship, and provides a unique opportunity for self-understanding. The principal focus of the course is children and the primary venues of application have to do with parenting and teaching. This course will be directly relevant to all those involved in raising and teaching children, or supporting those who do.

Transplanting children - whether the result of remarriage, adoption, parental loss, or change in custody - constitutes the most difficult challenge in raising children. Like plants, it is all about their attachment roots; unlike plants, it is a great deal more complicated. The impact of attachment disruption, even when in the best interest of the child, can be deep and profound, and yet there is a way through.

This course is addressed primarily to all the adults involved directly and indirectly in care-giving, parenting and teaching children who have not been born to the parents who are responsible for raising them. This includes adopted as well as children in the care of foster parents and step parents. It also includes children in group homes and orphanages. The course is also useful to the relatives and supporting cast of such children and their families.

Dr. Neufeld has a reputation of being able to address all the players involved with such children at the same time; thus providing them with a common understanding and a common vocabulary.

Despites civilization's advances, the human mean streak is not going away. Dr. Neufeld dissects the bully syndrome to expose its deep instinctive roots in attachment and emotion, revealing in the process why this behaviour is so immune to conventional means of intervention. The key to the bully's unmaking is to first understand how bullies are made.

Bullies come in all ages and exist in all settings, including marriage and the marketplace. The dynamics discussed therefore apply to all. This course should therefore be of use to anyone interested in taking a more in-depth approach to bullying. The primary focus of this course however is bullies in the school setting. This course can be used to glean insight into particular bullies, create plans for treatment or intervention, or to create prevention and intervention programs for schools and districts.

Emotion, long dismissed as a nuisance factor, is now confirmed to be at the core of development and well-being. Yet little is being taught about the nature of emotion or the implications for parenting, teaching, and treatment. To make sense of emotion is to make sense of us all. There is no better way to glean insight into oneself and others than through a working knowledge of the science of emotion.

To make sense of emotion is to make sense of us all. There is no better way to glean insight into oneself and others. Having a working knowledge of the science of emotion should be a prerequisite for anyone responsible for children or working with adults. While the focus of the course is on children and youth, the content is applicable to individuals of all ages. This course is highly recommended for all helping professionals, educators and parents. This course is required for the Neufeld Parent Consulting Program as well as for faculty internship candidates.

Home-based learning, also called homeschooling, is a well-established and still growing alternative to traditional classroom schools, but what does it look like from an attachment-based developmental approach? This course will look at the roles of attachment and emotion in learning and maturation, as well as the importance of rest and play in helping a child thrive and grow.

This course is suitable for all parents and caregivers who are currently involved in or considering home-based learning. It is also suitable for those involved in education who wish insight into how home-based learning works.

Play - at least the kind that builds brains, forwards development, and serves our emotions - is becoming an endangered activity among those who need to engage in it most and this includes us as adults. The science of play reveals the mind of Nature and gets to the very heart of the developmental approach. This course serves as a prerequisite to several more advanced courses with play as the focus.

The information contained in this course is relevant to everyone in today's society. It is a must for all those involved with your children - parents, daycare provides, early educators. It is also highly recommended for all serious students of Nature and all those who seek to play midwife to the unfolding of human potential. Playfulness is the key to healthy development and emotional well-being - a subject that is salient to everyone.

True play requires relational support. On the other hand, attachments are more easily formed while in the play mode. In addition, the capacity for relationship unfolds first in the context of true play. And once relationships are formed, they are best preserved through play. These two basic human drives were meant to serve each other in remarkable ways but require a supporting culture of customs and rituals in order to do this. The Prerequisites for this course are Play 101 and the Neufeld Intensive I.

The content of this course is universally applicable as the instinct to play is inherent to our nature and absolutely integral to becoming fully human and humane. We all need to play, and when running into attachment difficulties or trouble, even more so. As with all the Neufeld Institute courses, the general thrust is to make sense of children, but in this case, Dr. Neufeld also unravels why adults need to play as well as take the lead in play. This course is intended for parents, educators and helping professionals, as well as adults who are interested in how play can serve their friendships and marriages.

The delicate and intricate relationship between play and emotion is key to making sense of human nature, the unfolding of human potential, culture, behaviour problems, emotional disturbance, and much more. The material offered in this course is at the cutting edge of developmental science as well as the brand new science of play. The prerequisites for this course are the Neufeld Intensive II, the Science of Emotion, and Play & Attachment.

These are universal themes with universal applications. One can come for oneself, or as a parent, teacher, or therapist. No previous knowledge of the current literature on play and emotion is required. What IS required is a basic understanding of the attachment-based developmental approach and hence the need to have taken the two foundational Intensives first. Also required is a familiarity with the foundational emotion and play material (Science of Emotion and Play 101) in order to set the stage for focusing on the relationship between these dynamics. This course also builds on the material from Play & Attachment.

True play is becoming endangered in our world today. Why is play important, and why is it at risk? What are the effects of digital shortcuts on development? This course builds on the material from the videocourse, Raising Children in a Digital World, and adds to it the development reasons why we need to preserve play in our children's lives.

This course is suitable for all those involved with children and youth: parents, teachers, helping professionals. Although the focus is children, the dynamics and insights apply to individuals of any age.

Teaching is getting harder, not easier - even though teachers have never been more educated, technology so advanced, curriculum so refined, and pedagogy so honed. Although these factors are important, the true problem in learning lies elsewhere - in the teachability of our students. The answer to the waning teachability of students is not to teach harder, but to teach differently, harnessing the most powerful motivating force of all: attachment.

This material is applicable and suitable for all those involved with students in an educational setting, from kindergarten to grade 12, teaching assistants to administrators, classroom teachers to school counselors, family workers to psychologists, mainstream educators to those in alternate education settings.

This material is also very appropriate to home educators. Homeschooling material tends to champion one pedagogical approach over another and often neglects to take into consideration the teachability factors of the individual child. Students who are not emergent will not benefit from idealistic approaches that focus on interests and put the child in the driver’s seat. Children who are not adaptive will not benefit from correction or trial-and-error learning. Defended learners are very sensitive to attachment factors and require a great deal of structure and familiarity in their learning environment. Understanding the factors that determine teachability should enable homeschooling parents to choose an approach that best suits their child.

The science of relationship exists in fragmented pieces all over the empirical map: biology, sociology, embryology, ethology, epigenetics, neuroscience, psychology, medicine, and so on. We have never known more about the relational context required for parenting, teaching, and treatment. Yet this knowledge fails to inform our everyday practice and policy. This course distills the science of relationship to its essence and explores the implications for working with children.

This course is primarily directed towards helping professionals involved with children: pediatricians, social workers, child psychiatrists, child psychologists, pediatric nurses, as well as others involved in children. The course is open to all who wish to understand the science of relationship as it applies to children.

This special Onsite Week Intensive consists of two separate courses: Play & Attachment as well as Play & Emotion. Please consult these separate courses for detailed descriptions of content as well as for the required prerequisites.

These are universal themes with universal applications. One can come for oneself, or as a parent, teacher, or therapist. No previous knowledge of the current literature on play and emotion is required. What IS required is a basic understanding of the attachment-based developmental approach and hence the need to have taken the two foundational Intensives first. Also required is a familiarity with the emotion and play material as given in the courses of the same name, in order to set the stage for focusing on the relationship between these dynamics.

This advanced intensive explores the art and science of healing through the lens of the attachment-based developmental approach. Dr. Neufeld enhances the material with the experiences and insights gleaned from his many years of involvement as a psychotherapist. Although directed towards psychotherapists, formal training as a helping professional is not required.

Since the issues of healing and change are universal, this course is open to ALL graduates of the Neufeld Intensive II, regardless of the nature and level of their formal education. Rather than being constrained by the contemporary specialized definition of psychotherapy as the ‘treatment of disorder,’ Dr. Neufeld uses the root definition that originally inspired the field of psychotherapy - ‘acure for the soul’.

Although Dr. Neufeld speaks as if to fellow psychotherapists, he does not assume a formal training in clinical diagnosis and disorder. As most former students will already know, Dr. Neufeld has a well-earned reputation for speaking to mixed audiences in ways that are understandable to all.

This course is for all those who desire to become better midwifes to the healing process, who yearn to help get others unstuck, who are curious about the therapeutic process, as well as those who want to make their therapeutic practice more congruent with their commitment to the attachment-based developmental approach. Although the focus is on therapy, the Intensive is not just for therapists but for anyone who wants to make sense of therapy, including the phenomena of healing, transformation, recovery and resilience.

Some of the material for this course will have been introduced in Becoming Attached as well as Play & Emotion. However, the lens through which this material is viewed is distinctive to this course on Therapy.

Topic

All topics

Adolescence(24)

Early Childhood(25)

Fostering/Adoption(25)

Power to Parent Series(4)

Problem-Centered(11)

Theoretical Foundations(27)

Recommended Audience

All audiences

for Early Childhood Educators/Daycare Providers(19)

for Educators(23)

for Helping Professionals(28)

for Parents(26)

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